That Beautiful Day
by Kirino
Summary: Tachibana Junichi and Kamizaki Risa were dating. Junichi thought that all was going well, until a few days before the Founder's Festival, when Risa had a confession to make... WARNING: CONTAINS SIBLING INCEST BUT WILL NOT CONTAIN SEX SCENES.
1. Lies

_Caveat: I have not played the Amagami PS2 game because I can't read Japanese. Some events I've shown here are my interpretation of certain events in the game._

_I've decided to start this relatively short fanfic because my creativity for my K-ON! fic is dried up at the moment._

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story._

_Italicized conversations are flashbacks or thoughts._

x~~*~~x

**Lies**

"That Makihara-san was planning on dumping you in front of everyone, myself included," spat Kamizaki Risa while she was pacing frantically around in circles in their secret room, Junichi's afternoon _bento _in her hands.

Tachibana Junichi could only look at her in shock at the revelation: this girl who was his self-admitted stalker was the very reason his heart was broken two years ago, though that was not her intention.

"So Risa-chan, let me get this straight: You misled Makihara-san by telling her I changed the meet-up place and time, so that she wouldn't humiliate me in front of her friends?" asked Junichi tentatively.

The brunette nodded while she continued to pace. "I didn't have a choice, Tachibana-kun! It was the best I could do…"

"_Was_ it indeed the best you could do, Risa-chan?" interjected Junichi testily. "Wouldn't the best thing for you to have done would've been to tell me exactly what Makihara-san was planning?"

"Well…," mumbled Risa, who stopped pacing, deciding to twiddle her fingers instead. "If I told you, I'm sure you wouldn't have believed me; you might even think that I was trying to rain on your parade."

Junichi sighed; she was right. It wasn't his right to blame Risa; what else could she have done, after all? He felt that he'd rather not know all of the things that Risa was telling him; he had only reluctantly agreed because it was only under the condition that Risa reveal everything to him that she would allow him to take her as his date to the Founder's Festival coming up in a few days.

He was already inclined to forgive her for her actions due to the circumstances until she dropped the bomb on him.

"Also… I've done terrible things to all the girls who looked interested in you," mumbled Risa, refusing to meet Junichi's eyes.

Junichi's head snapped up and looked at her incredulously. "W-What do you mean, Risa-chan?" asked Junichi warily, his voice cracking from anticipation and dread.

"I sabotaged whatever attempts any girls were doing in order to get close to you. It was all for your own protection, Tachibana-kun," replied Risa, still refusing to meet Junichi's eyes.

"Like?" came the neutral reply.

Risa took in a deep breath.

"There was a time when Morishima Haruka-senpai grew interested in you," began Risa. "I knew that you had confessed to her and had been rejected, and yet, she had the audacity to remain around you, acting as though nothing happened. You, on the other hand, swallowed it up, Tachibana-kun, because you liked Morishima-senpai, didn't you?"

Junichi nodded and Risa continued. "I was, to put it lightly, very angry at what she was doing. You continued to pine after her even after she had rejected you and was now hanging around you without any consideration for your feelings. That's when I called her out to meet me behind the gymnasium one day."

x~~*~~x

"_Hello, what business did you have with me, uh…?" began Haruka tentatively._

"_Kamizaki Risa," replied Risa, her hands behind her back clutching her ace in the hole._

"_Um, yes, Kamizaki-san, what did you want with me?" repeated Haruka while she twiddled her thumbs, gazing at Risa with pure curiosity that belied her easygoing nature._

"_I've seen you hanging around with Tachibana-kun lately, and I thought that there was something that you needed to know," said Risa as she brought the picture from behind her back and showed it to Haruka who raised an eyebrow._

"_This is Tachibana-kun…? And this girl is…"_

"_Yes, apparently, she's his girlfriend, Morishima-senpai. I just thought you should know," replied Risa._

_Haruka took one more look at the brown-haired girl who had her arms around Junichi's shoulder, flashing a "V" at the camera._

"_I thought she was… nevermind," mumbled Haruka, shaking her head. "Thank you for letting me know about this, Kamizaki-san."_

_Haruka turned and walked away. "_I really, really, really hope I'm wrong about what I was thinking,_" thought Haruka as she walked away._

x~~*~~x

"So that's why Morishima-senpai and Tsukahara-senpai stopped hanging around me," muttered Junichi. "You showed them a picture of me with a girl and they thought she was my girlfriend?"

Risa gulped nervously and nodded. "T-there's more…"

Junichi could feel a pin drop. "More!"

x~~*~~x

_Risa was, frankly, incensed. She was heading towards the staircase when she overheard Tanaka Keiko and Tanamachi Kaoru talking in Junichi's classroom while they were the last two left for cleaning duty. She had tracked Junichi's movements and was certain that he and Masayoshi were headed towards the family restaurant where Kaoru worked part-time._

"…_is being really nice to me during these trying times," said Kaoru to her companion as she cleaned the blackboard._

"_Aren't you lucky to have such a reliable best friend, Kaoru?" asked Keiko as she arranged the chairs after Kaoru had mopped the floor._

"_Of course I am! Junichi might look like that but deep down, he's a really nice guy. Probably even nice enough to be a boyfriend, not just a best friend," said Kaoru with gentleness in her voice._

"_Kaoru!" exclaimed Keiko. "I didn't peg you as the type to go for your BFF. Why the change of heart?"_

"_He's been there for me throughout these trying times with Mom and her boyfriend. I told him to go to the restaurant with Umehara-kun earlier, because I was planning to confess to him after my shift. Since we're all done here, wish me luck, Keiko!" said Kaoru enthusiastically, despite the fact that she was feeling nervous._

_Risa then bolted for the staircase and sat on the steps, rifling through her schoolbag for the tools of the trade she needed. She took out the picture she had shown to Haruka and, noting Kaoru's relationship with Junichi, decided to take another picture out of her bag in order to convince her that Junichi was taken._

_When she heard footsteps, she made her move. "Tanamachi-san!" exclaimed Risa, her heart beating wildly at the implications of what she was about to do._

"_Hmm? What business do you have with me, uh…" Kaoru grasped for her name._

"_Kamizaki-san. Um, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with your friend, but…"_

_Risa then stepped forward and showed Kaoru the first picture. "Tachibana-kun already h-has a girlfriend…"_

_Kaoru took one look at the picture and burst into laughter; laughter so hard that her mirth practically seemed to envelop the entire building. Risa would be unsurprised if Keiko had heard her laugh. She was not disappointed._

"_Kaoru? What's that all about?" asked Keiko as she came walking towards them._

"Shit,_" thought Risa. She had planned to keep the collateral damage of her plans to a minimum, but now that Keiko had arrived and she was in the middle of carrying her plan out, she had no choice but to continue._

"_Oh, Kamizaki-san here is telling me that this girl is Junichi's girlfriend," said Kaoru, taking the picture out of Risa's hands and showing it to Keiko._

_Keiko raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Isn't that—"_

"_I know, right?" Kaoru managed as she began to giggle once more. "That's the most preposterous thing I've ever seen; I'd be more willing to believe myself as an electromaster being able to shoot arcade coins at the speed of light to create a railgun than this."_

_Risa moved in for the kill, her actions tearing inwardly at her heart as she apologized to whatever gods existed for the travesty she was about to commit._

"_I can prove it," she said, her voice unnaturally steady. She took another picture out of her pocket and showed it to Keiko and Kaoru, the latter's face immediately turning stony as her laughter ceased and the former clasping her hands over her mouth in shock._

"_What the fuck is this supposed to mean?" she asked in a brittle voice as she raised the photo in her hand._

"_It means exactly what it means, Tanamachi-san," continued Risa._

_Still in that same stony voice, Kaoru continued. "Are you fucking sure about this? How do I know this isn't a fake?"_

_Risa decided to tell part of the truth. "I climbed onto the tall tree beside Tachibana-kun's house and took a picture while _they_ slept. I liked him too, see, but when I discovered this… I felt it was my duty to let my rival know."_

_Kaoru's frown persisted as she merely nodded to Risa and with Keiko in her wake, went downstairs, muttering profanities about Junichi all the while._

x~~*~~x

"You're telling me you're also the reason why Kaoru hasn't been talking to me for the past week?" sputtered Junichi in disbelief.

"I'm sorry!" Risa practically wailed. "T-there's more…"

Junichi felt his hands involuntarily hug his chest as Risa continued.

x~~*~~x

"_Um, Nakata-san, I can't help but notice you've been really close to Tachibana-kun recently," said Risa as she leaned against the stairwell heading towards the gymnasium's locker rooms. Across her, Nakata Sae stood facing her with uncertainty etched all over her face._

"_S-senpai? What about senpai?" asked Sae in a nervous voice._

"_What is Tachibana-kun to you, Nakata-san?" asked Risa in a steely voice. "_She's a timid _kouhai_, this is going to be a piece of cake,_" thought the brunette._

"_U-uh, he's my instructor… I asked him to help train me for a part-time job I wanted. Miya-chan insisted," replied Sae._

"_But don't you _like_ him at all, Nakata-san?" pressed Risa._

_The twin-tailed girl flinched as though she had been slapped. "I'm right, aren't I? You love Tachibana Junichi-kun." It was a statement._

_Defeated, Sae nodded. "What does it have to do with anything, Kamizaki-senpai?"_

_Wordlessly, Risa took out one of two pictures from her pocket. She delegated to use the same strategy with Kaoru with Sae. No kill like overkill, or more accurately, no kill like shoving something so outlandish into her mind by backing it with physical evidence, no matter how fabricated it was. Times like these were what made Risa thankful that she was so damn good at Photoshop._

_Sae took the picture that Risa proffered and looked at it questioningly. "What about this picture? I find it to be completely normal," replied Sae._

"_That girl is Tachibana-kun's girlfriend."_

"_G-girlfriend?" Sae's eyes grew wide._

"_Nakata-san, if you don't believe me, look at this," said Risa as she moved in for the kill, showing Sae the other picture in her hands._

_It only took one look for Sae before she promptly fainted, her body weight falling limply onto Risa's, which made her so much more aware on how well endowed the girl was._

x~~*~~x

"You drove away Nakata-san as well!" exclaimed Junichi.

Risa nodded balefully. "It was all in the interest of your protection. Someone as inexperienced and fearful of men as she was was bound to screw up."

Before Risa could continue, Junichi cut in. "Let me guess, you're the reason why Nanasaki started to avoid me as well." It was a statement, not a question.

Risa nodded. "She was the one who took it the worst."

x~~*~~x

"_What business did you have with me, senpai?" asked the lean swimmer as she leaned against the stairwell that led to her locker room._

_Risa decided to cut to the chase with this one. She had to one-two punch this down-to-earth kouhai in order to pull a fast one on her. She took out both pictures from her bag and handed them to Ai while she said, "The girl in these photographs is Tachibana-kun's girlfriend."_

_A minute later, Ai was still looking at the photos with a stony look of distaste in her eyes. "I think I should ask the girl in question if this is true," she finally said._

"_No!" Risa practically screamed. "She wants it to be a secret; just please accept their relationship and keep it a secret, since it's in their best interests. It's what both of them would want, Nanasaki-san."_

_Ai sighed audibly. "In any case, thank you for letting me know about this. I'll make sure to tread clear of _both _of them."_

_She turned wordlessly and left, though Risa could've sworn she heard Ai mutter about how "disgusting" and "a menace to society" Junichi was. If she could say such things about Junichi, then there was no way she was letting her have him._

x~~*~~x

"Where are you getting these pictures anyway? And no, I _don't_ want to know who the girl in the pictures is," said Junichi, a hand over his face as he sat, hunched, on a wooden crate in the secret room.

"Photoshop is one of my talents," said Risa, chuckling slightly.

"There's more, isn't there?" asked Junichi. "Two other women I was okay with have also begun to avoid me in the past week."

Risa nodded regretfully.

x~~*~~x

"_Sakurai-san, I can't help but notice lately that you and Tachibana-kun are getting closer. The two of you are childhood friends, right?" asked Risa._

_Rihoko nodded. "He doesn't notice that I like him though. My love for Junichi has always been one-sided, even since we were little, Kamizaki-san."_

"_For your own good, Sakurai-san, and as a concerned classmate, I need to show you something," said Risa as she took the first photo out of her bag and presented them to Rihoko in one fell swoop. "The girl in the photo is Tachibana-kun's girlfriend."_

"_Kamizaki-san, I didn't know you had such an amazing sense of humor. Hiba-senpai and Yuzuki-senpai from the tea club would enjoy such a joke."_

_Rihoko noticed the serious look Risa was giving her and Risa took the other photo out of her bag and gave it to Rihoko._

_Rihoko's mouth opened in an "O" as she perused the two photos she now had in her hands. Wordlessly, she thrust them back to Risa and turned on her heels and fled, the sound of her sobbing remaining audible despite her distance from Risa._

x~~*~~x

"_I wonder if that explained why Itou-san seemed to be doing her best not to lunge for my throat yesterday," _thought Junichi.

"And about Ayatsuji-san?" prompted Junichi as he looked up at his tormentor in resignation. "She hasn't avoided me to the extent that the other girls have though…"

Risa smiled ruefully.

x~~*~~x

"_Ayatsuji-san, I know you're busy with the Festival and Tachibana-kun is there to help you out. That's why I felt that it was my duty to let you know…," trailed Risa._

"_Know about what?" asked Tsukasa sweetly. Risa gulped and, her hands shaking, took the first picture out of her bag, handing it to Tsukasa._

"_This girl is Tachibana-kun's girlfriend," said Risa. Tsukasa raised her eyebrows and remembered that she had met the girl the previous week, back when various students were requesting activity forms for the various things they wanted to do at the Founder's Festival._

_She wasn't able to recall her completely, but she took another look at the photo and due to her experience with organizational posters and computers, she immediately saw through the lie. She decided to play along though, for her own amusement._

"_Convince me," stated Tsukasa. Risa handed her the other photo and this time, Tsukasa's eyebrows shot up sky high as she saw the smile plastered on the girl's face as she slept. She finally recognized where she had seen the girl before._

"_I still don't believe you, Kamizaki-san was it?" Risa nodded, and Tsukasa continued. "I still do not believe what you have shown me, though if it had truth to it it would certainly be _very_interesting. In light of this, I shall try to keep my distance from Tachibana-kun in the meantime."_

_Without another word from her, she turned on her heels and sauntered away, as though she weren't even disturbed by what Risa had shown her. "I wonder if she saw through my lie," muttered Risa. "Well, it doesn't matter, as long as she lays off of Tachibana-kun."_

_As she walked towards the committee room, Tsukasa smiled. "_Things certainly will be interesting for the rest of the school year. I hope to the gods that Tachibana-kun has a good Christmas as consolation,_" thought Tsukasa._

x~~*~~x

"And that's everything I've done," finished Risa, turning away from Junichi again. "I swear that I did everything for your own protection, Tachibana-kun!"

"Risa-chan… I'm sorry… I just… I can't forgive you after what you've done. Your lies have probably severed my friendships with some of those girls," said Junichi as he looked up at Risa and the girl was shocked by what she saw in his eyes. His eyes emitted nothing but tranquil fury, and instinctively, Risa knew what was coming.

"I'm breaking up with you, Risa-chan. I'm sorry," said Junichi, though he didn't sound sorry at all.

Risa froze; she had heard the words she was dreading. She dropped the _bento_ she was holding and it impacted on the wooden floor with a loud crack. She leaned in closely to Junichi, who backed up in surprise, tears flowing down her face.

"If I can't have you," she said as she reached for her bag that was on the crate beside him. "No one can."

Wordlessly, she ran for the door before Junichi could stop her and she slammed it shut, leaving Junichi alone with his thoughts.

It would turn out that not chasing Risa would be one of, if not _the_ biggest mistake he made in his life. It would be debatable soon enough though.

x~~*~~x

"Oh, Tachibana-kun, a word with you if you please," whispered Takahashi Maya, his homeroom teacher as he passed the staff room right as she was going out. "Please enter the staff room, there is something I need to discuss with you of utter importance."

Perplexed, Junichi wondered what he had done this time. He had spent over half an hour brooding in the storage room after Risa bolted from him. When Junichi entered the room in Takahashi-sensei's wake, the room was empty save for the two of them.

Without further ado, Takahashi-sensei proceeded quickly to her desk and sat down in her chair.

"I've been hearing a few rumors about you this past week, but I dismissed them as fanciful lies. Until, that is, I found these pictures on my desk."

Takahashi Maya handed two photographs to him and what he saw made his blood run cold and his heart stop flat in its tracks.

"What is the meaning of this, Tachibana-kun? Please tell me that this is not true," said Takahashi-sensei in a carefully neutral voice.

"N-no, no, it's not true, none of it is true!" screamed Junichi in desperation as he was overwhelmed by the shock. He bolted for the door and ran down the stairs, taking the steps three at a time. He wanted to run away and never come back, for instinctively, he knew that it was all over. He knew that Risa had left the pictures on Takahashi-sensei's desk, but there was no way for him to prove it unless he could somehow corroborate what Risa confessed to him earlier with those same girls who were now avoiding him.

"And with good reason," he muttered grimly as his feet had taken him outside Kibitou High School's gates. With the sun setting, he looked forlornly at where he had come from and he sagged against a tree in the lane in physical and mental exhaustion.

When he closed his eyes, his memories, unbidden, flashed back to the two pictures Takahashi-sensei had showed him not even five minutes ago.

_Me… and Miya…_

x~~*~~x

_Well, how was that for a first chapter? I was inspired by Risa's episode and decided to turn it on top of itself in combination with her game's bad end, combined with Miya._

_Please read and review; this is also the first story in the newly created Amagami SS section by the way, as yours truly requested the site admins for a new subsection. :)_


	2. Anger

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot; characters are all owned by Enterbrain and AIC._

_As usual, entire sentences in italics are thoughts and flashbacks._

x~~*~~x

**Anger**

A tinny, metallic sound shattered the air, and Tachibana Junichi reluctantly got up from bed, eyeing the time on the alarm clock that lay on his bedside table. The clock was staring at him, hands pointed to eight and twelve, indicating that he had about one hour to get ready before he was due at school to assist Tsukasa with the preparations as her assistant on the Founder's Festival Committee.

He sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his bleary eyes with his hands, his mind weighed down by the bomb that Risa had dropped onto his social life previously. His gaze flitted towards the closet that he had converted into his personal planetarium two years ago after being dumped by Makihara, who was now studying at Kibina High School. Junichi reminisced on the time he spent converting that closet; he had to remove all his clothes and move it to another cabinet in the room. He obtained a large sheaf of black paper and glued it to the ceiling of the relatively large closet. He then stole some glow-in-the-dark yellow marker from Miya's room while she was downstairs with Rihoko and then he decorated the ceiling with the marker, even referring to an astronomy text to get some of the northern hemisphere constellations right, such as Andromeda, Canis Majora and Minora, Cassiopeia, Ursa Majora and Minora, including the Big Dipper and Polaris, Draco and finally Cygnus.

He made his way to his bedroom door and locked it, proceeding immediately to his planetarium, opening the door as he gazed at his two-year old handiwork. He took a look at his depiction of Cygnus the Swan and his mind drifted to the age-old tale of "The Ugly Duckling".

He knew that he wasn't an ugly duckling because Risa did fall in love with him, and yet he felt as screwed as fate as if he really were the ugly duckling – and there's no growing up to becoming beautiful for Junichi since that just doesn't happen in real life.

The troubled boy shook his head; he knew that the source of all his troubles was his yandere ex-girlfriend. He now knew that he would have no chance of being in a lasting relationship with the clingy girl, given her actions.

"Of course, a clingy girlfriend is better than no girlfriend at this point," muttered Junichi in dejection.

He continued to gaze at his planetarium for another half hour, falling back into his routine before the school year began. "Risa-chan was a dream come true. Should I have accepted her despite the things she did? Would she have apologized to everyone if I accepted her? I don't even know…," muttered Junichi as he lay on his back in the makeshift futon in his personal planetarium.

Unbidded, a loud rapping sound came into being at Junichi's bedroom door.

"_Nii-nii, _get up!" shouted Tachibana Miya, Junichi's little sister and the unwitting cohort in the rumors that destabilized Junichi's social life. "Isn't Ayatsuji-senpai expecting you at school in half an hour? I don't think you wanna mess with her, _nishishishi~_"

At this, Miya visibly shuddered while Junichi got up and unlocked his bedroom door. In the doorway stood his sister, who was a full head shorter than him. Her hair was neatly cut short, and she was still giggling with her trademarked laugh.

"What makes you say that, Miya?" asked Junichi, amused. Miya sometimes – okay, most of the time – drove him nuts, but there are other times when Junichi was really glad that he had Miya for a sister.

It was this feeling that continually weighed down on him as though someone placed a cartload of lead bricks on his shoulders for him to carry. Miya still didn't know about the rumors, as indifferent as she was to gossip. With dread, Junichi realized that her two best friends, Ai and Sae were among the people that Risa had fooled. He could only hope that those two didn't take the "news" hard. Especially for his own safety, if we consider the temper of the Swim Club member.

"Well _nii-nii _, do you remember when Riho-chan was filing forms for getting equipment? We were waiting in line when Sae-chan and I heard the commotion in the room you were in with Ayatsuji-senpai."

Junichi nodded and internally facepalmed; that memory was so clear to him because of the way Tsukasa reacted. Rihoko practically had Tsukasa fill out the Tea Club's forms for her, leaving the latter in an irate mood in which Junichi had to deal with.

"Oh," Junichi managed, at which Miya giggled.

"Well there you go, I think you really don't want to be on the receiving end of Ayatsuji-senpai's temper, do you _nii-nii? _Of course, if you're a maso—"

Junichi instinctively bonked Miya on the head. "Stop saying such ludicrous things, Miya," lectured Junichi as he headed towards the bathroom.

"You should really stop hitting me like that, _nii-nii_," grumbled Miya as she massaged her temple. "We're not kids anymore; I think even Umehara-kun would scold you for doing that."

"Please, Miya, it's a big brother's right," huffed Junichi as he headed towards the bathroom, thinking about how Tsukasa did seem different when she was pissed off, oblivious to Miya's gaze.

As the bathroom door shut, Miya's shoulders drooped and she returned to her bedroom in a foul mood.

"_Baka nii-nii_ won't ever see me as anything other than his little sister, huh…," whispered the brown-haired girl to herself as she began to lazily get ready for her obligation with Sae; they had planned to practice for the Miss Santa contest today with Miya being Sae's assistant up on stage.

"_Will that ever change?_"

x~~*~~x

"Tachibana-kun…," came Tsukasa's voice, dripping with irritation.

The committee head was tapping her foot impatiently on the floor when Junichi entered the room, half an hour late due to the time he wasted in his planetarium.

"Er, g-good morning, Ayatsuji-san," replied Junichi nervously as he imagined or rather, _felt_ the black aura emanating from the irate class representative.

"Didn't we agree to meet here at ten in the morning sharp because we have to go to every single _fucking_ club in the school before the Festival starts later at six in the evening?" queried Tsukasa in an icy voice.

"Y-yes… I was… held up this morning, Ayatsuji-san, and I deeply apologize," said Junichi as he bowed to Tsukasa, hoping that his drastic actions would at least stifle Tsukasa's anger. He still was surprised that the perfect class representative could get really really _really_ angry the way she did, noting that it was only directed at him and never anyone else.

Tsukasa's face softened when she remembered her confrontation with Kamizaki Risa. '_Perhaps I could be a bit nicer to Tachibana-kun; nicer in that I'm being the real me, not the mask I've carefully constructed for everyone else. It's the least I could do after he's stuck with me after all this time,_' thought the class representative as she strolled past Junichi who was still locked into a bow.

"Let's go, Tachibana-kun. Best not to waste any more time, hmm?" said Tsukasa sweetly as Junichi recovered his senses and followed in the girl's wake.

The two of them first proceeded to the people in charge of the contests that would be held later that evening, namely the Best Couple Contest and Miss Santa Contest. Tsukasa tasked Junichi with performing standard fact-finding on the contestants that were already present.

"Hello Morishima-senpai, it's been quite awhile!" said Junichi excitedly as he approached Haruka who was being assisted by Hibiki in fitting one of five Santa costumes.

"H-hi, Tachibana-kun," replied Haruka with a twinge of nervousness as she remembered what the kouhai had shown her a few weeks ago.

"Is everything alright, Morishima-senpai? Tsukahara-senpai?" asked Junichi with a feeling of trepidation.

Hibiki stopped adjusting the lace near Haruka's breasts and turned to Junichi.

"Well, Tachibana-kun, I don't know how aware you are of things, but rumors have been circulating around the campus that you're, uh, that is to say, in an incestuous relationship with your own sister," finished Hibiki awkwardly.

Junichi visibly flinched and paled. "O-of course that's not true, Tsukahara-senpai! Hehe…"

'_Really though, other than the fact that it's between blood siblings, just what exactly is wrong with an incestuous relationship? Well, there's the issue of not having enough variety in our genes but I don't really care for that stuff," _thought Junichi. '_I wonder what Miya thinks about it…_'

"…Hello? Earth and puppies to Tachibana-kun?" prodded Haruka.

Junichi found himself and blushed in embarrassment for getting lost in his thoughts. "Sorry about that, Morishima-senpai. I need to catch up with Ayatsuji-san now, so I'll see you two later, and best of luck in the Miss Santa contest!"

Junichi noticed with a small pang in his heart that neither of them waved at him as he left, noting that Haruka was indeed, averting his gaze.

x~~*~~x

"Where to next, Ayatsuji-san?" Junichi asked Tsukasa as the pair padded through the courtyard of Kibitou High School.

"Hmm, how about the Swim Club's Oden stall? It's quite the famous stall; they even have a secret recipe and all that hubbub," replied Tsukasa as she pointed at the Oden stall that was, to Junichi's horror, being attended to by Nanasaki Ai, who was taking pans out of a large sports bag and placing them on top of the gas stove.

"A-Alright then, Ayatsuji-san, I'll go over to the Robotics Club while you—"

"No. You stay with me at all times, Tachibana-kun," interjected Tsukasa, grabbing onto Junichi's sleeve as he tried to get away. "It's your punishment for being late. Besides, I already let you go check up on Morishima-senpai by yourself."

'_And I might as well do some fact-finding regarding the rumors,_' thought the committee head as she half-dragged Junichi to the Swim Club's oden stall, where Ai had gotten a flame burning under the stove.

"Phew, finally," said Ai as she rubbed her face, looking up at the two arrivals. "Good morning, Ayatsuji-senpai, Tachibana-senpai."

"How goes things, Nanasaki-san? I'm under the impression that you've got quite the load to carry on your shoulders when Tsukahara-senpai tasked you with the responsibility of running the oden stall," replied Tsukasa easily as she eased her way into the stall, turning knobs on the stove to ensure that it was in working condition.

"I've got it all under control, Ayatsuji-senpai," replied Ai as she took out bags of oden ingredients from another sports bag.

Junichi felt the icyness of Nanasaki Ai underneath the polite exterior she was presenting. This was obviously for Tsukasa's benefit – if it were only him and Ai right there, Junichi was sure that Ai would either ignore him or be openly hostile. Unsure, Junichi decided to prod and attempt to explain himself.

"Look, Nanasaki, about those rumors—"

"Please, don't talk about that, senpai," interjected Ai testily. "I saw the photograph for myself."

Junichi visibly paled and Tsukasa, who was now crouched beside Ai inspecting the gas source frowned. '_This girl isn't as perceptive as she looks. I'd think that she would be able to identify a doctored photograph from an unedited one._'

Changing tack, Junichi prodded further. "How about Miya? How is she holding up?"

"She doesn't know about the rumors yet, and people are too nice to say it to her face," said Ai with a look of scorn on her face. "Really now, senpai, I expected better from you. Disappointing."

"Tachibana-kun, I think we're all done here," said Tsukasa as she straightened up and eased herself out of the booth. "Make sure you adhere to safety protocol in case anything goes on, Nanasaki-san."

Ai nodded and continued to fix a death glare straight at Junichi even as the two left.

Junichi sighly audibly and, to her surprise, Tsukasa felt a pang of _pity_ for the boy walking beside her, shoulders hunched. '_Pity, now that's something I rarely feel,_' thought the class representative wryly.

"Alright, next up on our list is the Tea Club," said Tsukasa as Junichi audibly gasped in terror. "What is it, Tachibana-kun?" '_Was that absentminded junior another one of those girls he associated with?_'

"N-Nothing," said Junichi after a while. "Let's get this over with so we can have lunch, shall we?"

Tsukasa tasked Junichi to inspect the exterior of the clubroom while she checked the interior.

To Junichi's horror, Rihoko was clearly and visibly avoiding him. He had tried to talk to her while she was setting up the tables that would be used by the Tea Club to entertain their guests who consumed the _amazake_ they produced when Junichi suddenly felt a hand strongly gripping his shoulder.

He involuntarily cried out in pain and turned, where he was confronted by the hard stare of one Yuzuki Ruriko.

"Tachibana-kun… just… just get the hell away from Rihocchi," she spat. "You have no idea how depressed she is right now, and you have the audacity to pester her while we're working?"

"You deserve to be tied to a pole and boiled alive," quipped a soft voice. Junichi turned to the source and saw the other senpai of the Tea Club, Hiba Manaka emerge from the doorway, looking at him with an uncharacteristically hostile look in her eyes. "Please leave. You're making Rihocchi lose concentration."

"We're quite disappointed in you, Tachibana-kun," said Ruriko with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Let's go, Tachibana-kun," said Tsukasa who exited the Tea Club's room. Unbeknownst to the troubled boy, Tsukasa had heard everything.

'_Poor guy. And I thought I had the short end of the stick, façade notwithstanding._'

x~~*~~x

"…and that's how it is, Tachibana-kun," said Keiko timidly to Junichi at the classroom's doorway.

Junichi had gone to Class 2-A after he and Tsukasa had eaten to see what the people present were doing when he saw Kaoru looking at him with an icy glare on her face. If looks could kill, Junichi would've been hit with a death ray, failing his saving throw.

"A-Ah," Junichi gulped. "Is it the rumors that're making her mad?"

Keiko nodded and replied, "She's really angry at you, Tachibana-kun. I suggest you try not to cross her path until her anger has simmered. I don't know how long that will take though."

"What about you, Tanaka-san? What do you think?" asked Junichi quietly, a pleading note in his voice.

"It's not my business as to who you date, Tachibana-kun, but honestly, I'm saddened that you went too far with your choice," said Keiko sadly, a look of pity on her face. "Please try not to talk to me too much in class from now on."

The brown-haired girl, the very same girl that he, upon Kaoru's urging, had given advice turned her back on him and walked off, leaving Junichi leaning against the doorframe, a hands running through his hair in frustration. Through the other door, Tsukasa left the classroom and looked at her assistant.

"Hey Tachibana-kun… Are you alright?" asked Tsukasa. '_I've never felt genuinely concerned for anyone before. He doesn't need to go through this kind of crap just because people are too stupid to realize that the photos were doctored. He stuck by me, so I shall stick with him as well,_' thought the class representative grimly, realizing that she had never done anything quite like this before.

Tsukasa was used to fending for herself, and plastering her façade onto her real personality to obtain the trust and praise of her peers. With Junichi, she found that she didn't need to do that. Around Junichi, she could be herself. She didn't know if Junichi knew just what kind of effect he had on her, on how helpful his companionship was, and even if Junichi did know, Tsukasa would take the fact that she appreciated him for it to the grave.

'_That's just too embarrassing!'_

"I'm fine," sighed the boy as he straightened up. "Say, Ayatsuji-san, I've been wondering – why are you still nice to me? I'm sure you've heard of the… rumors."

He spat the last word out in frustration.

Tsukasa nodded and Junichi looked aghast. "But _why?_ Why haven't you been avoiding me like everyone else?"

Tsukasa raised an eyebrow. "Are you insinuating that you _don't _want my company?" she replied icily.

At this, Junichi visibly paled and Tsukasa barely suppressed a smirk. '_Jeez, I should really stop messing with the poor guy…_'

"O-Of course not! I'm really grateful for it, honestly," said Junichi, a hand behind his head. "Do you believe in the rumors?"

Tsukasa audibly laughed.

"I'm above such drivel, Tachibana-kun," she said viciously. "There's more important stuff to deal with than shit like that. Like the Founder's Festival."

Junichi nervously giggled when Tsukasa swore. "So, where to next? We already did half the work in the morning rounds."

Tsukasa frowned. "Frankly, Tachibana-kun, you're not going to like where we're going next," she said sincerely.

Junichi raised an eyebrow in inquiry when Tsukasa replied. "It's time to check on the first years."

Junichi sighed audibly. "Let's just get it over with – I'll just _try_ to explain things to Miya in due course."

x~~*~~x

When Junichi and Tsukasa finally reached Class 1-B, Junichi sucked in air audibly. Seeing the look on her companion's face, Tsukasa did something she rarely did.

"It'll be fine," she reassured Junichi whose knees were shaking. "Pull yourself together and be a man. You know that you at least have me for an ally."

Junichi forced a smile at her and, taking a deep breath, opened the classroom door. "Excuse me, the committee heads will now make an inspection for your planned activities for the Festival."

The members of Class 1-B were mostly going to participate in the Best Couple contest and thus, were busily making costumes for the event. When Junichi called out, the entire classroom dropped what they were doing, and the whispers began to buzz.

"…slept with Tachibana-san…"

"…his own sister…"

"Doesn't he have any shame?" said one girl angrily.

Junichi swallowed, ignoring the whispers while Tsukasa quickly took command of the situation. "We're here to inspect your work for safety issues, not to be targets of rumor-mongering," called Tsukasa nicely but gently to the general populace, her façade back in form.

The boy's eyes swept the room until they fell onto two girls – Sae and Miya. The former was wearing a penguin suit, and when her eyes met Junichi's her mouth formed a large "O" and she immediately turned away. Junichi looked over at his sister, who was wearing a cat suit and for some reason had a grim look on her face, trying to hide the pain in her eyes. Miya approached Junichi and the entire room, even Tsukasa fell silent.

'_What the hell is she thinking?_' thought Tsukasa. '_Doing that won't help their cause at all… unless his sister is trying to be mature about the matter… then it could work I guess. Hmm…_'

"Sae-chan, everyone, please excuse me. I need to have a word with my onii-chan," said Miya loudly, gesturing for Junichi to follow her. The boy looked over at Tsukasa, who just smiled wryly as though she was saying "Good luck – you're gonna need it."

They left, unaware that Tsukasa also exited the classroom at the same time.

x~~*~~x

Junichi followed Miya to an unused classroom in the second year corridor, closing the door as he entered in his sister's wake. His sister sat down in the teacher's table, and to Junichi's surprise, _sighed_ audibly.

"H-How are you, Miya?" asked Junichi tentatively.

"People are talking about the two of us," she said flatly. "What happened, _nii-nii_? Where did these rumors come from?"

Junichi decided to tell the truth. What else could he say, anyway?

"Well Miya… I need to tell you something first," said Junichi. "I was dating Kamizaki Risa, a girl in my year. Do you know her? She was my classmate in middle school and apparently, I was also her classmate way back in kindergarten."

Miya let out a low whistle. '_Risa-chan… I haven't spoken to her for years. I don't even think _nii-nii _ knows that she was the reason I started to call him "_nii-nii".'

"I know her," replied Miya, slouched on the teacher's table as Junichi remained standing. "How did we get from you dating her to this mess?"

"She was the reason why Kaoru, Morishima-senpai, Nanasaki, Nakata-san and Rihoko were all avoiding me. She showed them a picture of you and me together, claiming that you were my girlfriend. She doctored them both – the second picture was you and me sleeping in one bed."

Miya frowned. "She told me all about what she had done as a prerequisite for me to take her to the Founder's Festival so we can officially become a couple. Prior to that, we were basically dating in secret. No one else knew, Miya," said Junichi, sitting down in a chair directly in front of Miya.

"I couldn't forgive her. She practically ruined my friendships with Morishima-senpai, Nanasaki and Nakata-san. Kaoru is pissed off as hell and Rihoko's depressed. So when I told her that I was breaking up with her, she planted the pictures on Takahashi-sensei's desk. And so, here we are," Junichi said tiredly. "Miya, what do we do?"

Miya sat up straight and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Does anyone else know the truth?"

"Well, I don't know about Ayatsuji-san – she's the only person treating me normally—" '_well, as normal as normal gets for Ayatsuji-san,_' thought Junichi wryly. "I can't say for sure if she knows that the photos were fakes. I haven't asked her directly yet, but she did say that she was my 'ally' earlier, before we entered your classroom. But enough about me – what about you?" asked Junichi in a worried tone.

Miya audibly sighed and slumped onto the desk once more. "None of my classmates want to talk to me. They've mostly been blaming you, but they won't talk to me. Even Sae-chan…"

Her voice cracked, and Miya continued, the tears threatening to spill over. "Sae-chan… s-she's so distant all of a sudden. We were going to participate in the Best Couple contest as a joke couple – we planned to do a _manzai_ comedy sketch up there, actually."

Miya tried to laugh at her idea but her body just wouldn't let her. "Anyway, when you walked in, Sae-chan told me that she didn't want to work with me anymore. She told me that she was scared of you, that she was scared of m-m-me."

Unbidden, the tears fell as Miya buried her head into her arms splayed on the desk. "Sae-chan… I don't think she wants to be friends with me anymore…," she wailed, her voice muffled.

Not caring the consequences if anyone saw them, Junichi stood up and sidled around the desk, placing his hands on Miya's shoulders.

"…_nii-nii?_" she choked out through the tears that continued to fall.

"Come here," said Junichi gently. "It's my duty as an older brother to be by your side when you're in trouble. Even if I'm the cause of the trouble," he noted wryly.

Miya stood up and gazed into Junichi's eyes. Before she knew what she was doing, she buried her face in Junichi's chest, her hands balled up into fists, gripping her brother's school uniform. Miya cried like she hadn't cried for the longest time. She cried, mourning what could very possibly be the end of her friendship with Sae and Ai. She cried, that Risa had been so selfish with her older brother as to resort to ruining his life if he didn't take her. She cried, knowing the unfairness of everything. Junichi enveloped Miya in his arms, rubbing his sister's back while she convulsed, crying continuously.

"There there Miya… We'll find a way out of this. Tell you what, why don't you just spend the Founder's Festival with me? Both of us know the truth – it's definitely better than you trying to spend your time with _Nakata-san_."

He spat out Sae's name in anger – angry that Sae refused to believe her first and best friend, believing a set of pictures without even bothering to hear Miya's side of the story.

"T-Thanks, _nii-nii._ It means a lot to me," said Miya, who surfaced, wiping her eyes with her arms. "Hehe… this is really embarrassing, you know. Me, crying in your arms just like that time so long ago when I fell from the monkey bars, _nishishishi~_"

"That's the spirit! Let's just enjoy ourselves and let things sort themselves out. Don't forget that Ayatsuji-san said that she was on our side," said Junichi reassuringly. "Listen – I better head back to Ayatsuji-san. I trust you can find your way to the classroom, right? You should clean up though; your eyes are a mess."

"You don't need to tell me what to do, _nii-nii_," said Miya, sticking her tongue out Junichi as she opened the door and left.

Shortly afterwards, Junichi left the room, deciding to head to Class 2-A on the assumption that Tsukasa was there.

x~~*~~x

It was terribly ironic that Junichi told Miya not to forget about Tsukasa, because, in all the hubbub, none of the Tachibana siblings noticed Tsukasa shadowing them when they headed to that classroom.

When Junichi bolted out of the classroom, he never bothered to check the shadowy corner in front of the classroom's other door. Tsukasa stepped out of the shadows and smoothly walked back to 2-A – she had seen everything that had happened through the door's window.

"Well, this certainly makes things interesting," said Tsukasa to herself, giggling.

x~~*~~x

_I apologize for taking so long to update; real life happened, see._

_Please read and review!_


	3. Feelings

_As usual, thoughts are in italics. Sorry for the delay._

x~~*~~x

**Feeling****s**

"Miya! Are you ready to go?" called Junichi from the foot of the stairs.

It was five in the afternoon, and the Founder's Festival at Kibitou High School was set to begin in approximately one hour. Like he had said, Junichi was going to spend his Founder's Festival with Miya, rumors be damned, though he'd have to meet up with Tsukasa first to conduct inspections at points during the evening.

"Just a minute _nii-nii, _I'm looking for my winter hat!" called Miya from her room.

Junichi smiled at his sister's tone of voice. Miya had really been down that day, and she went straight to bed that evening without talking much to Junichi.

Five minutes had passed, and Junichi was still alone at the foot of the stairs, impatiently tapping his foot on the wooden floorboards.

"What in the hell is taking her so long?" said Junichi to himself. Deciding to check it out, Junichi ascended the stairs, purposely stomping his foot as a way of indicating his displeasure at his sister taking so long to find a winter hat.

Junichi didn't even bother to knock on Miya's door and instead, opened it. Turns out that was the worst thing he could've done at that exact moment.

Miya was in a state of undress, wearing nothing but a white bra and cat-print panties. Miya, whose eyes were wide, just stared at Junichi for an entire minute.

"A-Ah... Sorry Miya, I thought you said you were already dressed...," said Junichi, breaking the stagnant air between them, though he was expecting to be chased out by his sister throwing objects at him while shouting "_Nii-nii _ you pervert!"

"S-Sorry about that _nii-nii_. Um, I decided to change my clothes under my coat and wear something w-white instead of the school uniform...," said Miya timidly, her face aflame due to sheer embarrassment.

It must be said that Junichi was completely surprised. He fully expected to be chased out by now, but no, he was still looking at his sister wearing nothing but her simple white bra and print panties in front of him, fidgeting embarrassedly as she tried to make conversation.

"_Wow, Miya looks really cute. No wonder Umehara said that she was popular among the boys in her year,_" thought Junichi. "_Wait, what am I thinking about my own sister! But... I can't deny that she's really cute and beautiful... Mom would be proud._"

Junichi was at a loss on how to reply to what Miya said, when he was seemingly saved by the person herself.

"H-Hey, _nii-nii_... W-What do you think of Miya's underwear? I-It's childish, right? _N-Nishishishi~_" said Miya shyly, staring at the floor as she tried to perform her trademark chuckle, stuttering through it.

"No!" shouted Junichi loudly, surprising Miya and himself. "_Why did I sound so... passionate just now?_"

"Uh, I think they suit you really well Miya," said Junichi, looking very interestedly at the clock on Miya's bedside table while scratching his chin instead of at Miya herself.

Miya looked up at her brother and pursed her lips in thought. "Are you telling the truth, _nii-nii?_"

Junichi nodded once and Miya pressed on. "Are you _really_ telling the truth?"

Junichi nodded again in exasperation, but Miya wasn't through. "F-For real?"

Junichi finally exploded. "**Yes, I'm telling the truth – you're beautiful, okay!**"

Simultaneously, the Tachibana siblings covered their mouths at Junichi's outburst. "_Why... why... why did I say something like that! To my own _sister_ no less,_" thought Junichi as his thoughts were spinning at a million miles an hour.

"Y-You think I'm... beautiful...?" said Miya tentatively, suddenly covering her chest with her arms.

"_No use denying it,_" decided Junichi. "Y-Yeah. You're beautiful, Miya. That's why you're popular with the guys, if my and Umehara's information is correct," said Junichi encouragingly, trying to turn the situation on its head by trying to assume the role of the encouraging older brother.

Miya looked away, blushing even more than she was previously, as she mumbled a short "Thanks."

"If you'll excuse me now," said Junichi tentatively as he stepped backwards and exited the room, so that Miya could dress herself up. Closing the door, he leaned against the wall beside the door and immediately slumped to the floor, burying his head in his hands.

"_What is this... these things I'm feeling... what are they?_" thought the confused boy to himself as he sat motionless, leaning against the wall.

Junichi was at a loss. For as long as he had remembered, he had always had feelings of platonic love for his own sister, and these were heightened by the support she had given him for the past year, ever since Makihara stood him up on Christmas Eve.

Thinking of Makihara and Christmas Eve brought Risa to the forefronts of Junichi's mind. "Why? Why did Risa have to do something so stupid?" grumbled Junichi as he pounded the wall with his fist.

A muffled voice came from behind the door. "_Nii-nii_, are you okay?" called Miya.

Startled, Junichi called back. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Frowning, Junichi stared forward at the stairs blankly, seeing and hearing nothing. Indeed, why did Risa have to do something like that? "I couldn't care less about my own reputation, as long as I have Umehara... No, that's a lie. I care about my reputation. I care about all the friendships that I lost. But what I care about the most is what people think of my sister. As an older brother, that's part of my duty to Miya," muttered Junichi to himself.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that Miya was standing beside him, looking down at him. She had heard everything that Junichi had said, and from within her chest, it was as if a radiant flame had sprung to life with the passion that she had heard from her own brother's lips.

The flame made her face go red, blood rushing to her cheeks in a moment of embarrassment for herself and for her brother. Shaking her head to figuratively shake off her embarrassment, she squatted beside Junichi and gently shook him.

"_Nii-nii. Nii-nii!_ Let's go! We're going to be late. It's already half-past five. _Nii-nii!_"

As Junichi looked up at Miya, she took his hand and forcibly dragged him down the stairs, despite his protests. Laughing, Miya continued to drag Junichi while running towards Kibitou High School, after they had locked the house up.

"_He may be a little perverted, but he's a good _nii-nii," thought Miya.

x~~*~~x

When the pair arrived at Kibitou High School's gates, Junichi noticed that more than a few people were staring at them, especially at their linked hands – a result of Miya dragging Junichi as she ran towards the school.

The whispers began in earnest, and Junichi was feeling more and more concerned about how Miya was taking it all. He shot her a quick look and noticed that she was staring at the ground in front of her, her lips quivering. Miya squeezed his hand, and Junichi didn't know if she did that consciously or unconsciously. He reciprocated the action, shooting her a look that he hoped would radiate reassurance.

He didn't want to leave her alone if he could help it, but he had to go help Tsukasa out since he was part of the festival committee. "Maybe a compromise with her to let Miya tag along... Yeah, I'll have to hope she agrees," muttered Junichi.

"_Nii-nii?_" said the girl beside him timidly.

Junichi gently squeezed Miya's hand again. At this point, he didn't care so much about how other people saw him, only how they saw his sister.

"Miya, let's go to Tsukasa. I'll ask her if you can come along with us while we inspect the booths and activities," replied Junichi.

As Miya nodded, Junichi gently pulled her along, silently imploring to the bystanders to just stop. Of course, they didn't, and only when Junichi gave some a death glare did they back off, though they continued to converse in lower tones instead.

Weaving through the crowd while wishing that he and Miya had been more discreet about their entrance had Junichi thinking about where Tsukasa could be. He decided on a whim to head to the patio, where the Robotics Club was operating their Exia Gundam model.

"...and I really think you should've built the _Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann_ instead, but it's still cool anyway," said Tsukasa sweetly to one of the Robotics Club members, whose eyes widened at Tsukasa's knowledge of mecha. "_Ara_, hello Tachibana-kun, Tachibana-san."

"Ayatsuji-san, I need to ask you a big favor. Please?" said Junichi, getting down on his knees in front of Tsukasa to the immense surprise of Tsukasa and the bystanders.

"G-Get up, Tachibana-kun," managed Tsukasa, who was still in shock at seeing Junichi practically prostrate himself before her. "Follow me."

The three of them proceeded to a nearby alcove conveniently behind a bench and a tree. "Well, what is it?" asked Tsukasa. "What do you need?"

"It's about my sister, Miya," said Junichi. Miya, at the mention of her name, slightly inclined her head and smiled, though the smile appeared forced to Tsukasa. "I know that our inspections are purely committee business, and Miya isn't on the committee, but can she please tag along with us? I can't leave her alone tonight... I don't want to leave her alone tonight."

Tsukasa smirked and smiled wryly. "Ara_, isn't this interesting, hmm?_"

"_Nii-nii, _I can handle myself!" protested Miya, who gasped, realizing her slip. "Uh, Miya meant _onii-chan..._," finished Miya somewhat lamely.

"Wooow!" crooned Tsukasa uncharacteristically, sounding more like Morishima Haruka if anything. "What a cute pet name you have for Tachibana-kun!"

Junichi was trying to look annoyed and affronted but could no longer hold his laughter in. Miya and Tsukasa both looked at him with questioning looks on their faces and he replied.

"Normally, I'd be mad that Miya called me that in public, but right now... It's a good way to break the ice. Thanks, Ayatsuji-san," said Junichi, taking Tsukasa's hand intending to thank her with a handshake.

Junichi felt Tsukasa _freeze_ under his grip. "Is there something wrong, Ayatsuji-san?"

"Y-Y-You...," spluttered Tsukasa, while Miya added "Oh my, how bold, _nii-nii! Nishishishi~_"

"F-Fine, Tachibana-san can accompany us, j-just let go already you dumbass!" said Tsukasa, extricating her hand from Junichi, turning away as she did so, blushing in embarrassment.

Junichi noted that Miya continued to call him that even in front of Tsukasa, attributing it to Tsukasa's reaction to Miya. He then realized: since the rumors had spread, Tsukasa was probably the only person who treated Miya with kindness, excluding himself, of course.

"Thank you, Ayatsuji-san. From the bottom of my heart, thank you," said Junichi as he shot Miya a look of protectiveness.

"For what, Tachibana-kun?" asked Tsukasa, a look of unveiled curiosity on her face.

"For being nice to Miya here, when no one else would be. She was abandoned by her two friends in the wake of this," said Junichi, gesticulating with his hands the two of them. "I've tried to stop caring about my own reputation to save my sister's."

"It's nothing," said Tsukasa dismissively. "Anyone who isn't a dumbass would notice that the photos were clearly edited with Photoshop."

"_So you're saying that Morishima-senpai, Tsukahara-senpai, Kaoru, Rihoko, Nanasaki, Nakata-san and Tanaka-san are all idiots? Takahashi-sensei too?_" thought Junichi wryly.

"Besides, I'm always of the idea that people should be given the benefit of the doubt. It's not like you love your sister or anything, right, Tachibana-kun?" said Tsukasa, smirking.

Miya paled and felt her breathing increase rapidly in pace, while Junichi held up his hands and immediately denied the idea. "No way, Ayatsuji-san, no way!"

"_Ara_, really now, Tachibana-kun?" said Tsukasa, that smirk still plastered onto her face as she proceeded to ape Junichi. "I've tried to stop caring about my own reputation to save my sister's—ha, right there is devotion that could only mean love!"

Miya turned away and looked at her hands. Slowly, she brought them to her chest. Her heart was beating a million times a minute. "_Is this real? Are these feelings... real? I always loved _nii-nii_ as a brother, because he always looked after me and protected me... but as a man? I..._" thought Miya, her thoughts faltering.

"Let's assume that I do... l-love Miya that way," said Junichi evenly. "Is there a problem with it? Other than the fact that it's supposedly incest?"

Junichi had never seen this look on Tsukasa's face before: pure, unadulterated shock. "A-Are you mad, Tachibana-kun?" exclaimed Tsukasa, their duties involving inspection completely forgotten. "Even if it was hypothetical, suggesting something like that for real..."

"You brought it up first, Ayatsuji-san," said Junichi gently but pointedly.

"You're right, I did. But the fact remains: incest is a taboo that shouldn't be crossed," said Tsukasa firmly.

Scratching his chin, Junichi replied. "But why? Even though all cultures despise incest, and even though people have said that incest causes mental retardation in any resulting offspring, there is no scientific evidence that this is indeed the case. Other than social repercussions, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it, am I correct?"

Tsukasa reluctantly nodded. "Other than social suicide and being ostracized, indeed, there is nothing wrong with it. Obviously, that means you shouldn't even consider it. You may not find this advice useful now, but in due time, you may. Please remember that," said Tsukasa as she stood up, leaving the two.

"Wait, Ayatsuji-san, where are you going...?" called Junichi.

"Inspection. Tachibana-kun, you're excused. Spend the night with your sister. Protect her," said Tsukasa.

"_If only my own sister protected me the way Tachibana-kun did his own... Or... I wish Tachibana-kun could protect me the way he does his sister..._"

x~~*~~x

Junichi and Miya were seated on a bench underneath a tree – Miya placed her head on Junichi's shoulder and the latter was just absentmindedly stroking her hair. Tsukasa had left them, giving Junichi the night off to spend with Miya. Unfortunately, this did not really help their situation: just what were they going to do? Tagging along with Tsukasa would've given them a sense of purpose to stay at the Founder's Festival, but now...

"Say Miya, do you want to just go home?" asked Junichi, breaking the comfortable silence that existed between them.

Miya leaned back and looked at Junichi with a look that was a mixture of happiness and sadness. "Miya doesn't think that anything here will entertain us," said Miya.

Junichi's face visibly fell. He was thinking of his pledge to have a happy Founder's Festival after he had skipped on last year's, as a result of his depression from being dumped by Makihara, care of Risa.

Miya realized this and made a decision. A very important decision, one that she would look back on years from now with fondness in her heart.

"It's okay _nii-nii_ – how about we just stay and try to enjoy ourselves here? I mean, Miya knows that you promised to have fun at the Founder's Festival this year. Therefore, we should do it!" said Miya as she stood up, her fist raised enthusiastically in the air.

Junichi's eyes widened and he felt his heart soften at the sight of his sister trying her best for him. "_Even after everything, she's still worried about how I feel because of what happened two years ago? Miya..._"

He stood up and gently embraced Miya from behind, gently pulling her into an alcove near the closed entrance to the building where they wouldn't be seen. "Thanks, Miya. You have no idea how much this means to me," whispered Junichi, who sniffed her hair. "I like your shampoo, y'know. Don't tell me this is what's attracting all those guys to you, eh?"

Within his embrace, Miya was blushing heavily, the flame within her heart ablaze once more. "M-Miya wouldn't let anyone smell her hair," she protested feebly. "But I'm smelling your hair, aren't I?" teased Junichi.

"Okay, maybe you're the exception, along with Mom and Dad," she conceded.

"It's gotta be this," said Junichi. "After all, you don't have a chest large enough to attract the typical adult male, fufu~"

A stomping sound and a yelp followed that statement, and Junichi was found crouching down, rubbing his stubbed toe with his hands. The warm moment they shared earlier had been broken.

Miya was opposite him, sticking her tongue out at him before saying "Let's head to the Tea Club! Riho-chan might be nice enough to overlook the rumors for one night... maybe..."

Noting the sad note in her voice, Junichi stood up and gently patted Miya's head. "Don't worry about it, Miya. I'll find a way."

The pair then casually made their way to the Tea Club's set-up, talking about this-and-that, like _Beaver Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chouken Sentai Blade Braver, _and the latest Human Tetris video they'd seen on YouTube. It seemed like no time at all had passed when they finally arrived at the Tea Club's place.

Rihoko had just come around the corner and was slipping into her duty for the evening, only realizing halfway through her greeting just who she was talking to.

"A-Ah, Junichi, Miya-chan," said Rihoko nervously.

It was her first encounter with Junichi since the rumors had spread. She was avoiding him the other day, but this confrontation was unavoidable.

"Good evening, Rihoko. Miya and I just want a table and two glasses of _amazake_. Other than that, we won't cause you any trouble at all. Please," said Junichi, bowing deeply to his childhood friend. "If not for me, do it for Miya. Please. We just want to enjoy the evening."

"I, I... I don't know!" wailed Rihoko, letting her conflicted emotions get the best of her. "It's just so hard for me..."

Approaching footsteps were audibly heard by the trio and Tea Club seniors Hiba Manaka and Yuzuki Ruriko emerged from the interior of the place.

"Oh, it's you, Tachibana-kun. Giving trouble to poor Rihocchi again?" spat Ruriko.

Miya was about to interfere when Junichi stepped towards her and, to her great surprise, knelt down on the ground and bowed, similar to what he did in front of Tsukasa earlier. "Please. Miya and I just want to be served _amazake_ and seating. We won't bother you anymore after that. Is it not an injustice to deny service to people just because you have a grudge against them? In fact, this is no grudge, but rumors escalating out of my control," said Junichi, standing up.

"Rumors, according to you," said Ruriko. "And your sister too."

Fast as lightning, Junichi stepped protectively in front of Miya and faced Ruriko straight on. "Leave Miya out of this. If you have a problem, take it up with me," said Junichi bravely.

Ruriko practically grinned at that statement. "Alright, we'll serve you and your sister. In exchange for this!" shouted Ruriko.

Without a moment's warning afforded to him, Junichi had no choice but to take Ruriko's right hook square in the jaw.

"J-Junichi!"

"_Nii-nii!_" screamed Miya, rushing immediately to Junichi's side, cradling his head in her arms. "W-What the heck was that for!"

"_Ara_, may I ask just what is going on here?" came a cool voice.

Rihoko, Ruriko, Manaka, and Miya turned to the source of the voice. It was Tsukasa, and she was smiling dangerously at Ruriko.

"Yuzuki-senpai, may I ask, just what is going on here?" asked Tsukasa sweetly.

"Serving justice in Rihocchi's stead," replied Ruriko proudly. Tsukasa just shook her head in dismay.

"And do you really think your Rihocchi-san here appreciated what you did to Tachibana-kun?" asked Tsukasa, gesturing to Rihoko, who was crying unashamedly, unsure on what to do in the current situation given her conflicted emotions.

Would she rush to the aid of the childhood friend that she loved, or watch impassively as her senpai just punched him square in the jaw? Rihoko couldn't cope and she just cried helplessly.

"That being said, Yuzuki-senpai, you just committed an act of physical violence on school grounds. Normally, this calls for a disciplinary case to be filed, but I'm aware that you're graduating and you meant well for your kouhai. However, I cannot let this pass, so I will have to ask you to leave the school premises. I shall escort you out now," said Tsukasa in a commanding tone. "Hiba-senpai, Sakurai-san, the ensemble is all yours."

As Tsukasa and Ruriko left, Junichi had finally come to his senses. "Oww, my jaw... ack, I think it's bruising. Wow, Yuzuki-senpai... sure packs a mean punch," he said, trying to chuckle but he gasped in pain.

"_Nii-nii,_ let's just go home," said Miya in a concerned tone. She helped her brother up and her gaze fell on Manaka and Rihoko.

"Thanks for nothing, Riho-chan," said Miya in an uncharacteristically scathing tone as she put Junichi's arm around her shoulders and eased him into walking slowly, away from the Tea Club's place.

x~~*~~x

After ensuring that Ruriko indeed left the grounds, Tsukasa returned to the gate of Kibitou High School and noticed Miya and Junichi slowly walking towards the gate. Junichi was now walking under his own power – Ruriko just surprised him and now he'd recovered, though he was now sporting a bruise on his face near his left jawline and his hand covered the area.

"Ah, the Tachibana siblings. May I ask where you're going?" asked Tsukasa politely.

"Home," answered Miya flatly. "_Nii-nii's_ hurt, so I'm going to have to take care of him. Enjoy the rest of the evening, Ayatsuji-senpai. And... on behalf of _us, _I'd like to thank you for standing up for _us_ earlier."

Miya politely bowed her head and nudged Junichi, who waved at Tsukasa as they walked on. "_At least I was able to help him out this time,_" thought the raven-haired class representative as she walked back to the center of the patio where the large Christmas tree was set up.

x~~*~~x

"_Goshi goshi goshi goshi goshi,_" whispered Miya as she scrubbed herself in the bathroom. "I hope _nii-nii's_ jaw feels better when he wakes up."

When they had arrived at their house, they found a note from their parents saying that they'd be back late. Without another word, Miya led Junichi to his bed and commanded him to lie down. She was surprised that he had complied without a single complaint. She then rushed to the fridge to get an ice pack for his bruise, and she gently placed it on his face. She then told him to call her if he needed anything, bowed and left.

Now she was taking a bath just to rub what she felt was the misfortunes of the day off. "I can't believe people would just turn on us because of rumors...," mumbled Miya as she poured water on herself using a water dipper.

"I have _nii-nii _with me though, so I think I can survive. We're in the same boat, after all," muttered Miya as she stepped towards the bathtub and soaked in the warm water. "Ahh~ That feels good~"

"Us," intoned Miya. "What... what was that feeling, earlier, when I was talking to Ayatsuji-senpai and I said _us_... _Us_," repeated Miya, tasting the word on her lips. "Me and _nii-nii_. _Us._"

She smiled at the thought. "When everyone else abandoned me, _nii-nii _didn't. Even Ai-chan and Sae-chan left... but _nii-nii _didn't. _Nii-nii_...," she whispered, almost lovingly.

Her heart nearly stopped at that thought. _Lovingly_. "D-Do I... love _nii-nii?_" asked Miya rhetorically. "Not as a brother... but as a man...?"

Miya smiled warmly at the thought. A feeling of... acceptance flowed through her. "If that's the case... It's okay. It's okay. It's _nii-nii _ after all. He was by my side all this time, so it'll be okay."

With the feeling that her horizons broadened, Miya got out of the tub and dried herself. She stepped into her room, put on pajamas and checked on Junichi, who had fallen asleep.

Miya chuckled at the sight. "Heh, _nii-nii_ looks cute when he's sleeping, _nishishishi~_"

Miya swallowed and made a decision. A decision that would help her accept and affirm the feelings that had begun to develop within her. Miya quietly moved to stand beside Junichi's bed, and mustering her courage, she leaned in towards her brother and quickly yet gently kissed him on the lips.

"_Chu~_"

Tachibana Miya slept a dreamless sleep that night.

x~~*~~x

_**Goshi**__is an onomatopoeia for scrubbing. __**Chu **__is an onomatopoeia for kissing._

_Well, I hope that what I have written here presents a relatively mature take on sibling incest.__ I'll have to flag my fic now though, in case readers are put off by this._

_Read and review please!_


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